Drew Rasmussen blanks Jays for 6 innings in Rays’ win

Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead homered for the second straight game and Drew Rasmussen tossed six scoreless innings, lifting the host Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-1 series-opening victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Lowe, who belted a two-run shot in the third inning, is 8-for-17 with three homers and eight RBIs in four games against the Blue Jays this season. Tampa Bay has won three of those games.
Mead added a solo shot in the fourth inning and Junior Caminero had two hits and scored a run for the Rays, who have won three in a row overall.
Rasmussen (3-4) scattered four hits, walked two and struck out three before exiting after 76 pitches.
Rays reliever Mason Montgomery walked all three batters he faced to lead off the seventh before being relieved by Manuel Rodriguez, who induced Jonatan Clase to ground into a double play. That play scored a run, however Rodriguez escaped further damage by inducing Nathan Lukes to fly out to end the inning.
Edwin Uceta bridged the gap to Pete Fairbanks, who retired the side in the ninth to secure his ninth save of the season.
Alejandro Kirk had one of Toronto’s four hits and scored a run. The Blue Jays, however, saw their three-game winning streak and run of four straight road victories come to a halt.
Toronto’s Anthony Santander was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game with inflammation in his left hip. He entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and walked on four pitches before being replaced for a pinch runner.
Caminero worked a one-out walk in the third before Lowe deposited a 2-1 slider from Eric Lauer (1-1) over the wall in right-center field to open the scoring. Lowe’s homer, which extended his hitting streak to six, was his team-leading ninth of the season.
Mead extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-0 after sending a 2-0 cutter from Lauer over the wall in left field. Mead’s homer was his second of the season.
Lauer permitted three runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.